Des Moines, Iowa — A 19-year-old from northwest Iowa has received the Governor’s Lifesaving with Valor Award.
In February of last year, Joseph Salmon of Spirit Lake was ice fishing with his mom when they saw a Jeep plunge thru the ice. Salmon, who was 17 at the time, pulled the 83-year-old driver from the partially submerged vehicle. Eight months after the rescue, Salmon was critically wounded in a hunting accident. Corey McConnell, a man Salmon now calls dad, says the young man is a hero in more ways than one.
McConnell was on the shore the day the high schooler pulled the elderly man from the water and McConnell was emotional as he watched Salmon rise from a chair and walk toward the governor today Wednesday at the state Capitol. Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens wasn’t sure he could read the citation honoring Salmon.
Salmon’s mother, Jen, says the word perseverance best describes her son and Joseph tries to deflect the attention he’s getting.
Salmon said THANK YOU to his schoolmates for their support — and mentioned the name of Charlie Sires. Salmon’s mother and McConnell also praised Sires, the Okoboji sixth grader who drew a picture of Salmon that’s featured on t-shirts being sold to raise money to cover Salmon’s medical expenses.
The three then shared a laugh.
Six other Iowans were recognized Wednesday for heroic actions that saved lives. Evan Scheck, also of Spirit Lake, was honored for rescuing two boys who’d been swept into the Little Sioux River in early May of this year. The state’s public safety commissioner described the scene in Spencer.
Tyler Borneman of Cedar Falls, a volunteer coach for the girls’ basketball team at Waterloo West High School, was honored Tuesday with a Governor’s Lifesaving Award. Last January, the team’s head coach had a heart attack during practice and collapsed in a hallway. Bayens says Borneman did CPR for four minutes until EMTs arrived.
Randy Hartley of Adel was recognized with the Governor’s Outstanding Service Award for his actions at the Van Meter Veterans Reception Center. He provided critical assistance to a co-worker who arrived at the center with symptoms indicating she had suffered a stroke.
Photo caption: Governor Kim Reynolds and Joseph Salmon hold the Governor’s Lifesaving with Valor Award Salmon received during a ceremony in the Iowa Capitol on Dec. 11, 2024. (RI photo)
